1. Field of the Disclosure
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for the delaboration of ammunition, in particular for delaborating shells originating from cluster bombs or cluster rockets and having a steel housing that contains an explosive charge and a ductile metal cone. More particularly the invention relates to a method and apparatus for dismantling ammunition having a housing with a tubular housing portion made of steel and being open at one end, a cone made of ductile metal and fitted into the tubular housing portion, the cone having a base with a short tubular rim, and an explosive charge contained between the housing and the metal cone.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
DE 197 36 298 A1 of the present applicant discloses a method and an apparatus for the delaboration of a shell with a steel housing that contains an explosive charge and a cone made from copper or a copper alloy. The steel housing consists of a tubular housing portion that adjoins an open end and a tapered housing portion that adjoins a closed end. The closed end of the tapered housing portion has three bores. Two of the bores are for fastening a detonator and parachute unit to the outer surface of the closed end. The bore in the middle serves for igniting the explosive charge. The cone is fitted into the housing so that the tip of the cone faces towards the detonator and is located in a distance from the closed end, whereas the base of the cone faces towards the open end. In order to fasten the cone securely within the housing to keep it in place even under high acceleration forces the base of the cone is provided with a short unitary tubular rim which is partially expanded during the assembly of the shell into a form fit with an inner circumferential groove provided on the inside of the tubular housing portion. The explosive charge consists of compacted RDX within the steel housing and located between the cone and the closed end. Upon ignition of the explosive charge the cone will direct a jet of hot gas and copper vapor through the open end.
Some armies possess large quantities of such shells. Due to the fact that cluster bombs or cluster rockets have been banned this ammunition has to be delaborated. A fast, reliable and non-expensive method for dismantling such shells is disclosed in DE 197 36 298 A1.
This method comprises: removing the parachute and detonator unit, locating the ammunition in an upright position on a support for alignment with a compression punch, the open end of the tubular housing portion facing upwardly, then moving the compression punch downwardly and axially compressing the tubular housing portion. When the pressure is high enough a length of the tubular housing portion will bulge outwardly adjacent to the circumferential groove. The tubular rim of the cone will not bulge together with the tubular housing portion so that it is released from the form fit with the groove. Then the cone can be withdrawn through the open end of the tubular housing portion and thereafter the explosive charge be removed. A disadvantage of the method and apparatus according to DE 197 36 298 A1 is that very high pressures are needed to deform the tubular housing portion of the shell in order to disengage the cone from the groove in the housing portion.
In addition to the type of shell mentioned above there is a further type of shell where the tubular housing portion is provided with an inner cylindrical aluminum liner or insert in order to avoid the need for milling a circumferential groove into the hard steel of the shell and thereby to facilitate its production. In this type of shell the circumferential groove is provided in the inner wall surface of the aluminum liner. An example of this type of shell is disclosed in DE 202 15 938 U1 of the applicant together with two different apparatuses and methods for delaborating or dismantling such a shell.
The apparatus of FIGS. 1a to 1d of DE 202 15 938 U1 comprises an extraction tool and a punch for pressing the extraction tool into the housing portion. The extraction tool comprises an annular blade delimited by a cylindrical outer surface and a conical inner surface and having a sharp blade edge at the intersection of the outer and inner surface. The cylindrical outer surface of the blade has a diameter that is equal to the inner diameter of the aluminum liner. The conical inner surface of the blade is steeply inclined and intersects the vertical axis of movement of the extraction tool at an inclination of less than 30 degrees. Inwardly from the conical inner surface the extraction tool is provided with a circumferential groove which is delimited by the conical inner surface of the annular blade and by an opposing conical surface having the same angle of inclination. In order to remove the cone from the tubular housing portion of the shell the extraction tool is moved into the tubular housing portion of the shell. When the sharp edge of the annular blade reaches the top end of the tubular rim of the cone it is forced by the punch between the aluminum liner and the rim. This will deflect the tubular rim inwardly so that it will enter the circumferential groove. Upon further downward movement of the extraction tool the movement of the tubular rim into the groove of the extraction tool will disengage the outer rim portion from the groove of the aluminum liner. When the extraction tool reaches the position in FIG. 1(b) the cone has been completely separated from the form fit with the aluminum liner and will only adhere to the explosive charge. In order to expose the explosive charge the punch is moved upwardly thereby withdrawing the cone from the shell. In order to remove the cone from the extraction tool the latter comprises an inner bore and an ejecting tool within the inner bore. The ejecting tool is axially movable relative to the extraction tool in order to push the cone downwardly out of engagement with the extraction tool after the cone has been withdrawn from the tubular housing portion of the shell, as can be seen in FIG. 1(d).
However this type of extraction tool is only suitable for dismantling shells having an aluminum liner. This is due to the fact that the sharp edge of the annular blade tends to break when it comes into contact with the inner surface of a tubular housing section made of steel.
Furthermore this type of extraction tool faces problems with shells where the tubular housing portion is provided with a small inwardly projecting steel rib that is either immediately adjacent to the inner circumferential groove and engages into the ductile metal of the tubular rim of the cone or that is immediately adjacent to an end face of the tubular rim. The purpose of this rib and of the circumferential groove is to hold the partially expanded tubular rim of the cone in place within the shell.